This class creates server sockets. It may be subclassed by other factories, which create particular types of server sockets. This provides a general framework for the addition of public socket-level functionality. It it is the server side analogue of a socket factory, and similarly provides a way to capture a variety of policies related to the sockets being constructed.
Like socket factories, Server Socket factory instances have two categories of methods. First are methods used to create sockets. Second are methods which set properties used in the production of sockets, such as networking options. There is also an environment specific default server socket factory; frameworks will often use their own customized factory.
It may be desirable to move this interface into the java.net package, so that is not an extension but the preferred interface. Should this be serializable, making it a JavaBean which can be saved along with its networking configuration?
@author db@eng.sun.com
@author Harish Prabandham